INDUSTRY TRACK: Clean Energy Technologies Deserve Greener Critical Materials

INDUSTRY TRACK: The success of the U.S. clean energy transition and the realization of decarbonization goals depend on strengthening the resilience of supply chains for critical materials (CMs) vital to renewable energy technologies. Examples of these materials are rare earth elements used in magnets and motors, and lithium, cobalt, nickel, and graphite used in electric vehicle batteries. Extensive efforts are underway to enhance the production of these critical materials (CMs) domestically, as well as to support their recycling and reuse to reduce the demand for primary production. However, in order for new mineral processing, metal refining and or recycling technologies to be implemented at scale, it is essential to increase the public confidence that the operations are environmentally responsible. Securing sufficient supplies of CMs should not compromise human health or environmental integrity. Our research, as part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Critical Materials Innovation (CMI) Hub, is aimed at facilitating environmentally responsible pathways to enhance the resilience of CM supply chains. We assess the environmental impacts of emerging CM processing and recovery technologies, offering insights to guide research and innovation. We conduct both bench-scale experimental work to examine the potential ecological impacts of new reagents and process streams on indicator organisms in water and soil, and life cycle assessment (LCA) modeling of hypothetical at-scale operations based on new CMI technologies to evaluate the potential environmental impacts throughout the supply chains of critical materials. In this presentation we will provide examples of our work, including ecotoxicity tests using multiple indicator organisms to assess the impact of novel mineral processing and separation agents under investigation by CMI, and LCA modeling of bioleaching spent Li-ion batteries for critical metals recovery, highlighting the importance of reducing energy consumption for more sustainable implementation of the proposed technology. By developing critical material processing techniques with lower environmental impacts and avoiding the unintended generation of emerging environmental contaminants, we can support a more efficient and more sustainable energy transition for the nation.